


Reunion

by all-i-need-is-destiel (Aleakim)



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Enemies to Lovers, Lawyer Castiel, M/M, Mechanic Dean, School Reunion, kinda enemies at least
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-06
Updated: 2016-04-06
Packaged: 2018-05-31 16:12:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6477079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aleakim/pseuds/all-i-need-is-destiel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Have you seen Novak yet?” Meg Masters wants to know all of a sudden before Dean even has got the chance to say hello. “He grew up hot. <em>Really</em> hot!”</p><p>He looks around, watching for the one person he definitely doesn’t want to meet. Castiel Novak had been a thorn in Dean's flesh throughout his school years and Dean seriously doesn’t want to make this evening even more painful than it already is by encountering his –</p><p>Well, his rival? His enemy?</p><p>It sounds utterly stupid, thinking about it now, but in high school they never got along ...</p><p> </p><p>_</p>
            </blockquote>





	Reunion

**Author's Note:**

> **prompt by Anonymous:** _“Can you maybe write a reunion!fic where they used to be enemies? :)”_
> 
>  **Author's note:** I really hope you'll like it, dear Anon :) I didn't put too much weight on the "enemy"-part though since I always had a hard time calling highschool kids "enemies" (I always think about Batman and the Joker or similar examples hearing that term, you know? ;p) but I hope you don't mind ^^
> 
> _

Dean never intended to be drawn into this.

He just lived his life, innocently, before one day Melanie Hearthrow reached out to him regarding their high school reunion. And Dean never really thought about the idea that his old classmates would like to meet up again after ten years and swap stories about the last decade while showing off their diplomas or spouses or even kids.

And Dean has none of that – just a job at the local garage and a tiny apartment – so he’s really not that eager to see all these people again. But Melanie is very persistent and since Dean is one of the few people who still lives in Lawrence and could help easily with the organization, all of a sudden he’s sucked into this.

He puts up decorations, checks the sound system and takes care of the catering. For a party he actually doesn’t want to attend.

When the day arrives he thinks about feigning an excuse – a disease or a family emergency – but in the end he can’t say no to Melanie and a few of the other girls who want to see _“those gorgeous green eyes again”_.

And well, high school wasn’t that bad of a time anyway so why the hell not?

He used to be football captain for a long time (he actually acted very competitive about it – a fact that makes him smile nostalgically nowadays) and people liked him. He dated the obligatory cheerleaders and tried to make these years as painless for himself as possible. He was doing okay in class (English wasn’t his forte but he did quite well in Maths and Physics), engaged himself during school activities and punched everyone in the face who would dare to bully someone else.

Yeah, high school could have been much worse.

But the years after graduation … well, not so hot.

But Dean avoids prying questions that night, talks about _“freedom”_ and _“I do whatever the hell I want and it’s awesome”_ and really hopes that no one catches up on him. Admittedly, he won’t see most of these people for the next ten, twenty years or maybe even never again but he still feels uncomfortable sharing his own life listening to their college tales and their big adventures in the grown-up world.

Anyway most of the time women approach him and ask about his love life. He hears at least six _“I can’t believe you’re still single”_ before the first hour is up. And yeah, that’s actually another topic he doesn’t want to talk about.

“Have you seen Novak yet?” Meg Masters wants to know all of a sudden before he’s even got the chance to say hello. “He grew up hot. _Really_ hot!”

He looks around, watching for the one person he definitely doesn’t want to meet. Castiel Novak had been a thorn in Dean's flesh throughout his school years and Dean seriously doesn’t want to make this evening even more painful than it already is by encountering his –

Well, his rival? His enemy?

It sounds utterly stupid, thinking about it now, but in high school they never got along. Novak always fought with him over the position of football captain (and one awful year he actually succeeded) and Dean didn’t like that one bit. Furthermore Castiel had been top of his classes and always looked at Dean as if he wasn’t worth his time talking to. As if there were at least hundred better, more intelligent people within reach than Dean.

So yeah, Dean really didn’t like him.

And it didn’t help at all that Castiel had been a main protagonist in some very confusing dreams because sure, the guy used to be a dick but he had been a attractive bastard at the same time. And Dean back then, unsure about his own sexuality, didn’t handle it very well.

“He asked about you,” Meg continues, completely ignoring his unhappy expression. “Maybe you should say hello.”

“Maybe you should mind your own business,” he counters sharply.

Because it wouldn’t be a simple hello and nothing else. Both of them would be compelled to exchange a few words, telling their life stories because Dean remembers vividly that although Castiel used to be a prick he had been at least a very polite prick. He always did what was expected of him, just a good boy following etiquettes, and since a reunion was meant to be a way to talk to your former classmates again and listen to their tales Castiel would just do that.

So Dean does the mature thing: he grabs a beer, ditches the party and walks toward the football field.

He looks at the green grass and tries to recall the times when all of this actually mattered to him. When he ran across the field, cheered on by the crowd on the bleachers. He loved the feeling and it’s been a sadly long time since he felt that way. Everything went to shit after school very quickly and he never dared to look back, scared to feel even more down.

And yeah, somehow it’s hard, thinking about better times.

When he had been carefree and open.

“You know, the reason of a reunion is to _reunite_ ,” a very deep voice suddenly says behind him.

Dean turns around and _of course_ it’s Castiel fucking Novak standing there, with suit and trench coat, looking at him with that expression Dean never could decipher.

And shit, Meg is right, he grew up _really hot_!

Athletic figure, tanned skin, disheveled hair and, most importantly, those big blue eyes Dean was never able to forget.

“Hey, Cas,” Dean grunts, hoping he sounds annoyed enough that Castiel would just walk away without further words.

But unfortunately Castiel never picked up on things like that. “Hello, Dean.”

And what the hell did the guy do to his voice? Garble some rocks any other day?

“So … nice to see you again,” Dean says, feeling stupid. It’s _not nice_ meeting that guy after all these years and Castiel probably knows that very well.

“You as well,” Castiel responds and he sounds quite sincere about that.

Huh.

“I’m surprised to see you here in little, unimportant Lawrence,” Dean continues. “I thought you would be a smartass lawyer in New York by now, swimming in money and caring zero about us normal peasants.”

Because _of course_ Castiel went to Yale after high school like it’s the expected thing for a genius like him. There had been a great future ahead of him whereas Dean …

“San Francisco,” Castiel corrects him and there’s some kind of smirk on his lips. “Well, until a few months ago at least. Currently I’m living in Lawrence again.”

Dean frowns. That’s not what he expected. “Seriously?”

Castiel nods before he starts moving and takes place right beside Dean. “There are a lot of things you don’t know about me.”

Dean can’t help but stare at the man next to him and Castiel looks right back, consuming him with his gaze. That always has been their thing, watching in each other’s eyes for minutes, hours, decades. But Dean can’t recall that it ever had been that intense before. He feels his skin prickle and his heartbeat is speeding up in no time.

“So … what happened?” Dean asks and hates the fact that his voice sounds so fucking hoarse. “Why are you back here?”

Castiel tilts his head slightly. “Things … didn’t work out the way I thought they would.”

Dean can’t keep himself from snorting at that because that sounds exactly like his _own whole fucking life story_!

“Yeah, sucks when that happens, right?” Dean takes a huge gulp of his beer. “Sorry to hear that, man.”

And he actually means it. Despite the fact that they didn’t get along very well in the past he never wished the guy any harm. Deep down Castiel is a good man and people like him don’t deserve that their lives fall apart.

“So … what happened?” Dean watches him intently. “Did you get fired?”

Castiel sighs, closing his eyes for a second. “Dean …”

“You don’t have to tell me,” Dean interjects immediately. “I don’t wanna talk about my fucked-up life either so that’s totally okay with me. We can just exchange some stupid pleasantries like it’s expected of us and then go our separate ways.”

That’s actually a really nice plan. He seriously can’t stand looking into those irritating eyes any longer anyway.

But obviously Castiel has got other plans, as always. “It’s quite alright, Dean. In fact I came here tonight to talk with you about this.”

Dean narrows his brows, confused. Why the hell should he confide in a guy he hadn’t seen or spoken to for nearly a decade?

“What do you mean?”

Castiel seems tentative for a moment and Dean starts to wonder if he would back down after all, telling Dean to just forget he ever said anything and disappearing from his life again.

But then something appears to switch inside him and he begins, “I had a good job. Well paid with a great opportunity for advancement. My parents were proud … and well, so was I. At least I thought so.” All of a sudden he avoids Dean’s gaze and Dean feels strangely empty without his eyes on him. “I had this naive idea to bring a little justice to this world. Help people in need. Do the right thing.” Castiel smiles sadly. “But in the end I turned into an obedient soldier, following dubious orders. I lost my way and for a long time I didn’t even notice.”

It feels a lot like Castiel is sharing his very private thoughts and emotions with him and Dean starts to squirm.

Castiel always has been that way. Blunt. Open. Spilling out his guts like it’s the normal thing to do.

“What changed your mind?” Dean wants to know.

Castiel’s expression softens. “ _You_ , actually.”

Dean blinks.

For the first few seconds he’s quite certain he misheard the guy. Because that can’t be true!

“What the hell are you talking about?” he asks incredulously. “We haven’t seen each other in ten years. So what have I got to do with this?”

Castiel slides a little closer and Dean feels the body heat radiating from him. “I got an e-mail one day,” Castiel tells him. “It was Sam.”

Dean’s eyes widen in surprise. His brother never told him that he reached out for Castiel.

“What?” Dean shakes his head in disbelief. “Why would he –?”

“You sometimes forget we used to be neighbors for a few years, don’t you?” Castiel chuckles quietly. “Sam and I got along quite well. And when he decided to study law he reached out for me. We have been messaging each other for some years now. I tried to help him with a few things and I was enjoying his stories very much.”

Dean scowls, suppressing the urge to grab his phone, call his sneaky brother and demand some fucking answers although it would probably be something like, _“I knew how you would react, jerk, so I didn’t tell you.”_

“And that specific e-mail … he was talking about you,” Castiel continues, his eyes serious. “What you have done for him.”

Dean groans and buries his face in his hands. “He told you _everything_ , didn’t he?”

It’s not actually a surprise, Sam keeps telling “the tales of his selfless brother” for years now, never once shutting up, although Dean begged him on many occasions.

“I can see you’re uncomfortable with this,” Castiel says. “But you really don’t need to. You are not some kind of screw-up.”

Dean snorts. “That’s debatable.”

But Castiel shakes his head with a determination that makes Dean flinch. “You gave up everything for your little brother. You ignored your own hopes and dreams and instead worked through _three_ jobs since your alcoholic father didn’t bother to care for his children and you didn’t want Sam to miss anything. And you took the majority of your money to send him to a good college while you lived in a small apartment, working all day and night.” He takes a deep breath. “That is the most admirable thing I ever heard, Dean.”

Dean doesn’t know what to say. On first instinct he wants to deny it and tell him it wasn’t a big deal, _anyone_ would have done that. But he can’t make himself open his mouth. There is _so much fucking emotion_ in Castiel’s eyes and it renders Dean speechless.

“You are a remarkable man and you don’t even seem to acknowledge it,” Castiel states. “Reading Sam’s words made me realize how selfish I had been. I made sure the rich became even richer whereas other people suffered. I couldn’t do it anymore, knowing that there were men and women like you out there. I just couldn’t.”

Dean keeps watching him because he’s sure as hell that his voice would betray him majorly, would he dare to say a few words.

“So I quit my job and I felt like a heavy weight had been lifted from my shoulders once I left the building.” Castiel smiles softly. “I came back here to start over. I want to open my own firm. Do some good for a change. Like you do since a very long time.”

Dean can’t bear it anymore, he breaks their eye contact and ducks his head. He always hates it when people talk about him like that, as if he’s some kind of freaking hero. And usually he would have interrupted Castiel a few minutes ago, maybe even fled. But for some reason he can’t move a single muscle.

“I came here today to thank you, Dean,” Castiel explains. “And –”

Suddenly he hesitates, looking unsure. He watches Dean intently as if he’s searching for something important and huge although Dean has got no clue what that would be.

Finally Castiel exhales and says, “And I wanted to ask you out on a date.”

 _Now_ Dean is absolutely certain that he misheard the man. “What?” he asks bewildered.

Castiel seems highly uneasy. “A date,” he repeats. “Perhaps dinner and a movie or something similar. If … if you want to, of course.”

Dean blinks a few times.

Maybe he’s dreaming or something.

“You … want a date … with me?”

Castiel’s lips twitch upwards into a shy smile and Dean can’t help but be hypnotized by that. “I would like to have a little bit more than one single date but … it’d be a nice start.”

“But … but …” Dean doesn’t even know what he wants to say.

“I admired you for very long time, Dean. Since high school, to be exact,” Castiel confesses and Dean just stares at him astonished. “I always tried to get your attention. But … doing so I seemed to make you dislike me somehow.”

Dean snorts. “You always looked at me as if you thought you’re better than me.”

A slight blush appears on Castiel’s cheeks. “I’m … I’m not very good with people.”

“You stole my position of football captain!” Dean reminds him, trying to make a point here. How the hell could he have known that Castiel had been interested in him back then?

“You liked football,” Castiel says. “You liked ambition. And I wanted you to like me.”

It sounds simple. Harmless. But for Dean’s stupid teen self it had been some kind of war declaration.

Fuck!

He could have had the single best thing in high school. But instead he fooled around with giggling cheerleaders and never once thought that Castiel would like him in that way.

Although Dean isn’t quite sure how he would have reacted to something like that. He had been deep in the closet at the time and maybe would have hurt the guy involuntarily in the process.

Dean used to be a gigantic asshat after all.

Maybe it’s actually for the best that it’s happening right now.

“Why didn’t you say something?” Dean asks nonetheless. “You never had a problem with telling what’s on your mind.”

“I think … I was scared,” Castiel continues, sounding quite nervous now. “And I wasn’t sure if you … Sometimes I thought you liked me back. But if I’m wrong I need to apologize. I never intended to make you uncomfortable. We can forget it ever –”

Dean makes him shut up by pressing his lips onto Castiel’s.

It’s not as romantic as in the movies, at least there’s a lot more teeth and discomfort involved than he originally thought. But as soon as Castiel gets over his first shock and reciprocates enthusiastically it becomes _freaking awesome_!  

Castiel’s lips are chapped but nonetheless soft and his tongue is warm and everything Dean ever dreamed of. He loses himself almost immediately in the feeling, cursing his younger self once more for missing that opportunity.

At some point – seconds, minutes or even hours later? – Castiel pulls back a little bit. “So … I presume you’re saying Yes to my proposal for a date?”

Dean grins widely, looking at Castiel’s kiss-swollen lips with a very smug expression. “Hell yes!”

“Good.” Castiel chuckles before he kisses Dean once more, chastely.

“How about now?” Dean suggests, not able to wait any longer. He can’t risk this dream to end. “I know a nice place not far from here. We could … catch up. Eat a burger.”

Castiel smiles. “I love burgers.”

A part of Dean still can’t believe this is happening. Not once in a million years would he have thought that attending this goddamned reunion would lead to a hot make-out session and a fucking date with _Castiel Novak_!

But when Castiel grabs his hand and says, “Let’s go, I’m starving!” Dean allows himself to keep dreaming a little bit more.

And at their next reunion ten years later Dean is more than eager to attend since he can’t wait to show off his gorgeous husband and the approximately thousand pictures of their two beautiful daughters.

Yeah, Dean sure as hell _loves_ reunions!


End file.
